Very Discouraged

Emily, please believe me when I tell you that the higher weight we are, the more our body can fluctuate from day to day. That fluctuation has NOTHING to do with fat but with water retention. Seeing 3 pounds down and then 3 pounds up is not a healthy measure of your weight loss.

In fact, the scale in general has not proven to be a helpful tool in weight loss (because of the discouragement). So do yourself a favor: put the scale away for a month, get out a tape measure, and measure yourself. Set personal fitness goals for the month of May. 10 minutes a day, 30 minutes of walking 3 times a week, commit to the stairs instead of the elevator at work, whatever. Make healthy food choices. Then at the end of May, get back out your tape measure and scale and see how far you've come.

If you can't commit to sticking to your health plan for one month without the scale, then you're not truly committed to a healthy lifestyle.

CMCOLE
Posts:
2,667
4/30/13 5:56 A

Stop. Breathe.

Now, give yourself time for your body to adjust to the changes you're asking it to make. If you need to use the scale for reference; use it once monthly (or even wait and use only the WW scale at your meetings, if that is where you are being weighed regularly).

Bodies need time to adjust. Weight loss is not predictable.

On average, if I were to work it out, I only lost around two pounds PER MONTH in the last year. Discouraging, if all I go by is the scale. However, I'm getting healthier; my clothing fits better; I'm able to walk longer distances with my dog, and a whole lot of other benefits that the scale cannot show.

I no longer own a scale because I often felt terrible about the numbers and got overly obsessed. (I log my weigh ins after Dr visits...) Tracking other measurements may help, but also noticing how you feel is a terrific way to maintain motivation. Your health isn't a number. :)

Weight loss is not a linear process. Visalus is a meal replacement program that uses high-dollar shakes; while meal replacement programs are a valid way of restricting calories, long-term they don't often lead to successful weight loss. Most people who stop gain their weight back, and then some, because they never dealt with the cause of the weight gain in the first place.

If you are undereating, that can slow your metabolism over time, so it's important to meet your minimums. How many calories are you eating in a day, and what's your SP range?

It's only been a week. It can take as much as 6-8 weeks for healthy lifestyle changes to show upon the scale. Although to be honest, this doesn't sound like a healthy lifestyle change to me; it sounds like you're dieting with short term goals in mind.

So I started ViSalus 1 week ago today when I got weighted the first day i was the same as a week today. I been eating healthier, drinking water not 8 cups a day but 6 slowly working to 8 cups. When i got on the scale on last wed, it said i was down 3 pounds, when i got on the scale sat it said i was up and then when i went to weigh in today it said i was the same weight Watchers am i doing wrong, I feel like I am starting all over again from the very beginning, know when i was on weight watchers, It took forever just to loose the 8 pounds I lost when Weight watches had the old program,, before they changed it ,i was dropping weight like crazy now its a struggle even to loose 1 single pound. I am having a hard time getting all my calories in, but I make sure i donít have too many calories left over. I am finding i am not hungry, and i have to force my self to have breakfast lunch and dinner sometimes i will have a snack and sometimes i am ok with out having a snack.

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this website can be used without the permission of SparkPeople or its authorized affiliates.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013